Autographic register



W. A. PRINGLE AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER Filed Feb. 9, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l mv NTOR BY Y W )xx ATTORNEY5 Jan. 10, 1928. 1,655,710

w. A. PRINGLE AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M 76 ATTORNEY5 Patented Lian. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

WILLIAM A. PRINGLE OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SALES BOOK COMPANY, LIMITED, OF TORONTO, CANADA, A CORPORATION OF ONTARIO.

AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER.

Application filed February 9, 1923. Serial No. 618,046.

This invent-ion relates to an improvement in autographic registers, and with respect to its more specific features to mechanism for advancing the strips of paper and for maintaining or bringing superposed strips into registry.

An object of the invention is to prov de in autographic registers a simple and eas ly operated mechanism to advance the strips after they have been released by the f eedmg means, thereby to re-engage them with the feeding means.

Another object is'to provide means controlled by the strip feeding meansfor advancing the strips, biased to operatiye condition but restrained from operation by mechanism, manually actuated to release position. Another object is to provide means in the form of a mutilated disc controlled to rotate by the strip moving means and normally urged into engagement with the-said means, but restrained from such engagement and held in inoperative position by normally active mechanism actuated manually to release position.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter. v

lhe invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will he exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

in the accompanying drawings form ng a part of this specification wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side view of an automatic aliner provided with the improvement, with parts in section,

Fig. 2 is a lan view,

Fig. 3 is a etail in plan of the strip moving means and the advancing mechanism,

Fig. 4: is a front view of the said mechanism, Fig. 5 is a view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. (i is a view along the line 6--6 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. '2 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but with the feed supporting disk moved slightly forward.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of one of the strips. The present embodiment of the invention 1s shown graphic register, including a casing 1, having a cover 2 hinged to the casing at 3, and provided with latch mechanism for holding the cover .closed. At the end adacent to the hinge connection 3 the cover carries a roller 4, and this roller is connected to a shaft 5, journaled directly below the roller, when the cover is closed, by a gear connection comprising a inion 6 on the roller, and a gear wheel i on the shaft. The shaft has secured thereto a pair of discs 8, each of which has its peripheral edge bevelled at one face as indicated at 9, to narrow the engaging surface of the disc. Each disc has a hub 10, fitting the shaft, and secured thereto in any suitable manner, in the present instance by screws as shown. The paper strips of which there are three indicated at 11, 12 and 13, respectively, are carried by rollers 14 within the casing, and the strips pass over guide rods 15 to superposed position between a plate 16 and the cover 2 at the end adjacent to the hinge connection. The cover has an opening 17 at the plate 16, through which the upper surface of the uppermost strip 13 is visible. Transfer sheets or strips indicated at 18 are arranged between the superposed strips, so that when the uppermost strip is written upon, the under strips.will receive impressions of the writing because of the transfer sheets. The transfer strips are supported in any suitable or desired manner. The superposed strips, beyond the transfer sheets, pass between the roller 4: and the discs 8, and each strip has a plurality of openings indicated at 19, which are in alinernent transversely of the strip and longitudinally of the strip, and are so spaced that a pair of transversely alined openings will simultaneously re 'ster with the discs or wheels 8, thus re easing the grip ef the feeding means, constituted by the roller and the discs, on each paper strip. The transverse series of openings are an ranged at regular intervals, so that the strip will be moved a predetermined distance at in connection with an autoeach operation of the moving means. As the openings of each strip come into register with the discs 8, the strip will be released, and the strips will thus be re-aliued at predetermined intervals.

The shaft 5 is turned by the crank 20, and when a strip is released by the registering of its openings 19 with the discs 8 further turning of shaft 5 alone will have no effect upon the arrested strip, so long as the openings therein are in register with the discs. To resume the feed the strips are further advanced and the advancing means in the present instance is constituted by a pair of mutilated discs 21. A disc 21 is arranged loosely on the shaft adjacent to each teed disc 8, and a spring; 22 is arranged on the shaft between the discs, the spring; acting normally to move the mutilated discs toward the feed discs. Each feed disc has a notch or recess 23 in its inner face, one wall of which is radial to the disc and in a plane parallel to the axis of the shaft, while the other is inclined. Each mutilated disc has :1 lug 24 on its outer face which is shaped to fit the adjacent recess, and when the lugs are in engagement with the recesses, the mutilated discs will be rotated with the feed discs, and with the shaft 5.

The lugs and recesses constitute clutch mechanisms, for connecting the mutilated discs to the feed discs. Referring to Fig. 3, when the paper is being fed, the upper portions of the feed-discs move toward the hinge connection 3, and it will be seen that it the lugs 24 of the mutilated discs are in engagement with the recesses 23 of the feed discs, the mutilated discs will be carried with the feed discs. When however, the shaft rotates in the opposite direction, the lugs will slip idly over the recesses. That is, the connection is a ratchet connection, constraining the mutilated discs to move with the feed discs when the shaft is rotated in one direction, and having no such effect upon the mutilated discs when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction. Mechanism is provided for disengaging the mutilated discs from the feed discs, and fornormally holding them in disengaged position, and in such position that. the mutilated portions of the discs indicated at 25 will not contact with the feed roller 4, and the mutilated discs will have no tendency to advance the strips. The holding mechanism must be released before the mutilated discs will have any effect uponthe paper strips.

, The restraining mechanism for the mutilated discs is a pair of cam arms 26, which is secured to a shaft 27, journaled in the easing 1 on the opposite side of the shaft 5 from the opening 17. These arms are rigid with the shaft, and the shaft is normally held with the arms in operative position, by means of a spring 28, which encircles the shaft near one end, one end of the spring being secured to the casing 1, while the other end is secured to a collar 29 adjustably held on the shaft 27. The spring acts normally to hold the arms in engagement with the shaft 5, and the arms are of such length that when in engagement with the shaft 5, they will extend to the center oi the shaft. The free ends of the arms at the face adjacentto the lugs 2a are bevelled as shown to cooperate with the inclined faces of the lugs, and to force the mutilated discs inwardly, so that the lugs are disengaged from the re ceases 23. Each lug has at its highest portion an extension 30 which constitutes a stop for engaging the end of the adjacent arm 26, to check the movement of the disc in the position of Fig. 6, that is in a position such that it will not affect the paper strips. In their normal position, the cam arms prevent movement of the mutilated discs with the feed discs 8, but when the shaft 27 is oscillated in a direction to lift the arms into the position of Fig. 7, the mutilated discs will be released, and the spring 22 will move them toward the teed discs, and the ratchet mechanism will connect them therewith, so that they will rotate with the feed discs. The cam arms, which are also stop arms, release the stop extensions 30, at the same time that the discs are released. When the shaft 27 is released, the spring 28 swings the cam arms into the position of Fig. 7. in which the arms rest upon the outer surface of the lugs 24 out of engagement with e2- tension 30. As soon as the extension 30 has passed the arm 26, the latter moves inward toward the shaft. so that, upon the comple tion of a revolution, the arm 26, engaging the side or": the lug 24, forces the extension 530 out of engagement with recess 23-and brings it to rest as the arm 26 and extension 30 meet as shown in Fig.- 6. The shaft 2'? is manually controlled to release position, by means of an arm 31 rigid therewith, which has an angular portion 32 extending beyond the casing, into position to be engagged by the fingers of the operator, to escillate the shaft, to release the arms.

The operation of the device is as follows:

When the strips are properly threaded, as shown in Fig. l, and engaged with the feed mechanism, turning of the crank 20 will advance all of the strips until the openings 19 thereof register with the feed discs 8. Each strip will he released, as its openings come into register with the feed discs, and the strips will thus be successively alined. When the strips are stopped after a predetermined travel, as above mentioned, the shaft 5 may be turned indefinitely without any effect whatever on the moving of the strip, so long as the mutilated discs are in the position of Figs. 3 and 6. Thus the strips will be properly presented at the openings 17 and will be held in this position, until the arm 3132 is operated to oscillate the shaft 27. The oscillation of the shaft 27 lifts the stop and cam arms into the position of Fi 7 and rotation of the shaft 5 will now carry with it the mutilated discs, which when they reach the position of Fig. 7, will commence to advance the strips. -As soon as the shaft 27 is released, thespring 28 swings the free ends of the arms downward, and a complete rotation of the shaft 5 will bring the stop lugs 30 again into engagement with the ends of the arms 26.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all inatter contained in the above description or shown in'theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lett ers Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, in

combination, means to move a strip of paper,

and adapted when used with a cooperating strip to release the strip when it has traveled a predetermined distance, means including mutilated discs to ire-engage the strip and the moving means, means biased to operative condition toconnect the discs to the strip moving means thereby to rotate the discs, and means for restraining the operation of the said means, manually controlled to release position.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, means to move a strip of paper, and adapted when used with a cooperating strip to release the strip when it has traveled a predetermined distance, means including mutilated discs to re-engage the strip and the moving means, means biased to operative condition to connect the discs to lhe strip moving means thereby to rotate the discs, cams for restraining the operation of the connecting means, and means to move the cams to inoperative position.

3. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a roller, and a pair of cooperatingdiscs for moving, superposed strips of paper having apertures to stop the feed thereof when said apertures register with the discs, and means manually actuated to operative position for advancing the strips to re-engage them with the feed discs, including mutilated discs spring pressed toward the feed discs, and releasable means for holding the mutilated discs out of en gagement with the feed discs.

t. In a machine of the class described, in combination. a roller, and a pair of cooperating discs for moving superposed strips of mutilated disc arranged adjacent to each feed disc, eachpair of adjacent discs having inter-engaging clutch mechanism to constrain the multilated disoto rotate with the feed disc when the discs are pressed together, and releasable means manually operated to release position for holding the mutilated discs away from the feed discs.

5. In a machine of the class described, in combinatioma roller, and a pair of cooperating discs for moving superposed strips of paper having apertures to stop the feed thereof when said apertures register with the discs, means manually actuated to operat-ive position for advancing the strips to reengage them with the feed discs, including a mutilated disc arranged adjacent to each feed disc, each pair of adjacent discs having inter-engaging clutch mechanism to constrain the mutilateddisc to rotate with the feed disc when the discs are pressed together, and releasable means manually operated to release position for holding the mutilated discs away from the feed discs, including cam arms extending between the pairs of discs and pressing them apart and spring biased towards operative position.

6. In amachine of the class described, in combination, a roller, and a pair of cooperating discs for moving superposed strips of paper having apertures to stop the feed thereof when said apertures register with the discs, means manually actuated to operative position 'for advancing the strips to re-engage them with the feed discs, including amutilated disc arranged adjacent to each feed disc, each pair of adjacent-discs having inter-engaging clutch mechanism to constrain the mutilated disc to rotate with the feed disc whcnthe discs'are pressed together, and releasable means manually operated to rcleasepositionfor holding the. mutilated discs away from the feed discs, including cam arms extending between the pairs of discs and pressing them apart and spring biased towards operative position, the mutilated discs and arms having inter-em gaging means for stopping thediscs and holding them in inoperative position.

7. In a machine of the' class described. in

combination, means to regulate the feeding V,

Elli

restraining the operation of the' connection and for holding the mutilated disc in inoperative position.

8. In a machineof the class described, in combination, means to advance the strips of paper, including a mutilated disc for engaging the strips, and a cooperating rotatable member, means biased to operative condition to operatively connect the disc and member, and means manually controlled to release position for disengaging said disc from said rotating means and for holding the disc from movement and in a predetermined position with respect to the rotatable member.

9. In a machine of the class described, in

combination, means to regulate the feeding of a strip of paper through the medium of apertures therein, including a roller, and a 20 cooperating feed disc with which the aperpressing the mutilated disc toward the feeddisc, and a cam arm normally extending between the mutilated disc and thefeed disc into engagement with the lug thereby to. force the mutilated disc away from the.

feed disc and to release the connection therebetween, the lug having a stop for engagement by the arm to hold the mutilated disc in a predetermined and inoperative position with respect to the strip. v

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM a. PniNeLn- 

